Names that Peaked in 2022

Many names relating to oak as in the tree are becoming more popular for baby girls, including Oaklynn, more popular than twin Oaklyn three to one. About 1800 baby girls were named Oaklynn versus 600 spelled Oaklyn. 
Sister name Oakley is just about exactly as popular, with about 1800 baby girls named Oakleys and another 600 getting the Oaklee spelling. That means around 5000 baby girls got one of these four names, ranking the collective spellings in the Top 40.

Oaklynn

A warm and contemporary choice, Ember refers to the still-glowing parts of a fire once much of it has gone out. As such, some of its appeal lies in its associations with hope, rekindling, and light in the dark.
 
For those less allured by imagery, Ember has plenty of other qualities that make it attractive to modern parents. It may be considered a fresh spin on Amber, a way to nickname Emmy, and a compromise for those who love both Emma and Piper. 

Ember entered the US Top 1000 in 2009 and has since risen to the Top 150, while across the pond in the UK, it debuted in the charts back in 2016, and more recently appeared in the Top 200. It even has trendy off-shoots Emberly and Emberlynn!

Ember

Dashing and suave, with a hint of poetry and gentleness, Emilio is an appealing and international choice. A solid favorite in Italy, it is also on the rise in the US, France, Austria, and the UK. 
 
Derived from the Roman family name, Aemilius, Emilio is part of the Emil, Emiliano, Emily and Emilia family, all with the meaning "rival". 
 
While Emilio isn't quite as popular as its feminine counterparts yet, it has received more attention in recent years. With other -o names such as Matteo, Arlo, and Leo all trending for boys, it broke into the US Top 200 for the first time in 2022 and is now given to over 2000 babies every year.

Actor Emilio Estevez has brought notable attention to the name, while Italian fashion designers Emilio Pucci and Emilio Cavallini give it an air of style. Other recent namesakes include footballer Emilio Nsue, actor Emilio Sakraya, and influencer Emilio Martinez.

Emilio

Oakley, with its nature name roots and its Annie Oakley charm, is a hot name for both genders but more than twice as popular for girls. This name made it into the Top 1000 for the first time in 2013, one of only four <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/girls-names/o">girl names starting with O</a> to rank that high. A decade letter, it's aiming for the Top 100.

Oakley is rising trough the ranks for both genders, though it is given to more than twice as many girls as boys. It's also popular in other English-speaking countries as well as for dogs.

Oak variations Oaklynn, Oaklyn, and Oaklee are also popular for girls, while Oakes is an up-and-coming variation used mostly for boys.

Oakley

Bubbly, bright, and versatile, Phoebe is a name with mythological, biblical, and literary ties. Used since the 17th century, it fell out of fashion in the US during the '60s, only to be revived after it appeared in the 90's TV favorites, Friends and Charm>.
 
 Since then, it's been on the rise, with a recent year seeing it sit comfortably in the US Top 200, the England and Wales Top 20, and the Top 100 in Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, Ireland, and Northern Ireland.
 
The Latinized form of the Greek Phoibe, ultimately derived from phoibos, the name has the gorgeous and fitting meaning of "bright." In classical mythology, Phoebe is the by-name of Artemis, goddess of the moon and of hunting, while in the New Testament, Phoebe is a church deaconess.
 
In literature, Shakespeare used the name (spelled Phebe) for a rustic denizen of the forest in As You Like It and in Hawthorne's The House of Seven Gables, Phoebe Pynchon was a cheerful young girl. There's also a Phoebe in Catcher in the Rye: Holden Caulfield's sympathetic, precocious ten-year-old sister. In real life, famous Phoebes include musician Phoebe Bridgers and actress and writer Phoebe Wallers-Bridge.
 
The masculine form is the rarely used Phoebus, while the Spanish, Portuguese, and Dutch form is Febe.

Phoebe

A variation on the popular Colton, Colter has been climbing up the US charts since 2010. Given to around 1000 boys each year, it is now in the Top 500, and ticks the boxes for being a cool occupational name with rugged, Wild West vibes, and for giving the familiar nickname Col, or the alternative, Colt. 
 
Parents choosing Colter might like it as an honor name for a Colin or an alternative to popular Carter, but its a name with some interesting history too. 19th century explorer John Colter was considered the first mountain man, spending months living in the wilderness, exploring what is now known as Yellowstone National Park and taking part in the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Several places in the US are named after him, including Colter Peak and Colter's Hell. 
 
Fans of Philip Pullman's The Northern Lights might also think of the character, Mrs. Coulter.

Colter

Inspired by the sweet but solid bird name Wren, this longer form has been storming up the charts since 2018. Given to just 13 girls back in 2014, a decade later in 2024, it ranked in the Top 150 and was chosen for more than 1900 girls. It's initial appearance in the stats back in 2013 may have been inspired by the character Renly in Game of Thrones but it has since become a name with its own identity, 
 
Viewed as an elaboration of Wren, it could simply mean "small songbird", however, viewed as a combination of the word name and the "ley" suffix, it could also have the meaning "wren's meadow" or "wren's clearing". Wrenleigh and Wrenlee are alternative spellings that also feature in the Top 1000, while Wrenly is also on the rise. Wrenlie and Wrenli are also given to a handful of girls each year. 
 
Collectively, the three most popular spellings were given to 3176 girls collectively, making it feel like a Top 100 name, ranked alongside Natalie, Eden. Maeve, and Daisy.

Wrenley

Sage is an evocatively fragrant herbal name that also connotes wisdom, giving it a double advantage. It entered the Top 1000 at about the same time for both genders in the early 1990s, but it has pulled ahead for the girls. Toni Collette named her daughter Sage Florence.
 The Greeks and Romans wrote that the smoke from burned sage leaves imparted wisdom, and in the tenth century, Arab physicians said that sage brought about immortality, or at the very least, a long and healthy life.
 In Vampire Diaries, Sage is a beautiful vampire possessing super strength and speed.

Sage

One of those names you may not even be aware of if you haven't been paying attention to recent naming trends, Alani was given to more than 700 baby girls in the US in one recent year, to be the second most popular feminization of Alan after Alana. It's certainly the most modern-sounding female version of Alan.

Alani

One of those simple, straightforward English surnames -- and with a presidential pedigree -- that's easy to translate into a first. Chosen by both Kevin Costner and Jessica Alba for their sons, it has been climbing the US charts since 2009.
 
A stylish choice, Hayes is both a surname style name and a nature name, referring to a hedged area of land. It could work as an alternative to Harry or Harrison, or perhaps as an honor to a family Hayley. 
 
2024 saw it enter the US Top 200 when it was given to around 2250 boys.

Hayes

No longer tied to the hapless Ace Ventura, this jaunty, high-flying nickname name is starting to take flight among celebrity and other parents, with its countless positive references to doing well in tests and poker games, on the tennis court and golf course, and in the air.
 Natalie Appleton, Tom Dumont, Jennie Finch, and Jessica Simpson all have little Aces. The best known grownup with the name is Ace Frehley, born Paul, one-time KISS guitarist.

Lilting and lovely, Ailani entered the US Top 1000 for the first time in 2016 and was a fast climbing choice in 2024 and 2025 when it climbed more than 400 places up the charts to rank in the Top 200 in a recent count. With Hawaiian, Spanish, Irish, and Turkish influence, it is an appealingly multicultural choice. 
 
From its Hawaiian roots, it means "high chief", while from its Hispanic origins, it takes inspiration from Irish and English Aileen and Turkish Aylin, linking it to the bright lights and the moon. Similar in sound to other favorites, ranging from Kehlani to Isla, Leilani, to Ayla, Delaney to Alaia, its no worder it's popular. 
 
Spelling variations include Ailany and Aylani, which have also been on the rise, and the latest count saw them collectively given to 9986 babies which would make them feel as popular as Top 10 choices, Isabella and Evelyn.

Ailani

Who knew there were so many soccer fans in the U.S.? Beckham -- as in British sensation David -- has exploded onto the baby name scene in the past decade.

Beckham

Short, sharp, and cool, Jett is a contemporary choice that connotes both gemstones and jet engines. Rarely used before the 90s, John Travolta, and then George Lucas, helped to put the name on the map by choosing it for their sons. 
 
Jett is a word name with a twist, a bit like Forrest or Merritt and that extra "T" moving it more firmly into name territory. It is associated with the highly, polished black gemstone and the color "jet black", meaning it fits in with the likes of Jasper, Onyx, Scarlett, and Jade. It is also associated with jet engines, jet planes, and speed and it was this connection that likely drew aviation enthusiast Travolta to the name - though it could work for someone wanting to honor their love for travel too.
 
For those wanting a less wordy association, you could link Jett to the surname Jetson, which is a diminutive of Jordan, via the old pet forms Jutt and Jud. 
 
Jett first entered the US Top 1000 in 1999 and climbed steadily until 2009 when it was one of the fastest rising names of the year. Since then it has returned to travelling steadily upwards, and is now in the Top 300. Given to over 1700 babies every year, it is also moving up the charts in the UK.

Jett

In the USA, Blair is gaining momentum, rising quickly for the last 10 years and likely to continue to climb. In England and Wales, where Blair has political connotations – calling to mind former prime minister Tony Blair – it is much less common, although it is in use for boys in its native Scotland.

 Blair has a chic and tailored feel in line with other trending gender-neutral one-syllable girl names like Sloane, Quinn, Sage, and Reese. A notable pop culture namesake in recent years is Leighton Meester's upper-crusty character in Gossip Girls.

 Blair was first popularized as a girl's name in the 80s, cracking the Top 500 for a few years before falling off again. Blair re-entered the charts in 2011 and has been rising since. Blair has a longer history as a boy's name, with consistent use as early as the 1800s, and the name stayed on the charts until the mid 90s.

Blair

The single T version of Matias is, like Mateo, the Spanish variation of the Hebrew Biblical Matthias or Matthew, while the double T version as in Mattias and Matteo is usually Italian.

Matias

Nico is one of the great nickname names, full of charm, energy and effortless cool -- a neo Nick.
 Nico is commonly heard in Italy -- as a short form of Niccolo -- and also in France, Belgium, Germany, Holland and Spanish-speaking countries.
 As a unisex nickname name, Nico is associated with the German-born single-named Velvet Underground singer (nee Christa) promoted by Andy Warhol. And Nico Reilly was one of the female leads on the TV series Lipstick Jungle. But over 90% of the American babies named Nico are boys.

Nico

Freya has long been popular in the U.K. but has only taken off in the US in the last decade, along with the entire category of mythological names. Derived from the Old Norse name Freyja, meaning "Lady, noble woman", Freya is the name of the Norse goddess of love, beauty, and fertility. 
 Freya has been one of the fastest-rising names of the past few years and is even more popular in England and Wales. We predict that along with the original Nordic spelling Freyja, Freya will continue its meteoric rise in the coming years.
 Freya can be considered a feminization of Frey or Freyr, the name of the goddess’s brother.
 .There is a Joseph Conrad novel titled Freya of the Seven Isles. A noted bearer was the explorer and writer Freya Stark.

Freya

Judah is the strong, resonant Old Testament name of the son of Jacob who was the ancestor of one of the tribes of Israel, and from whom the word Jew is derived. Some of the names' popularity might be attributable to the similarly named Jude Law.
 Judah Maccabee is acclaimed as one of the greatest warriors in Jewish history. In popular culture, Judah Ben-Hur was the eponymous hero of the novel and film, Ben-Hur, and, more recently, is borne by Judah Friedlander of 30 Rock, and is the name of the young son of Lucy Lawless.

Judah

Lilah may be a simple spelling variation of Lila— itself an alternative form of the Arabic Leila — or you might think of it as a shortening of Delilah or an Anglicization of the Hebrew Lilach, which means lilac. Whatever the root, it's a beautiful and stylish name. The final h adds balance or creates needless complications, depending on your viewpoint. 
 
Lilah entered the UK Top 100 in 2023, where it joined Lyla, Lyra, Layla, Lola, and Delilah.